Although the trade paper didn't specify why Crowe dropped out, it's most likely due to the impending birth of his first child and the actor's desire to take time off to be with his family.

Unfortunately, Tripoli has hit another roadblock despite the casting of Reeves. 20th Century Fox has reportedly put the pic into turnaround, "and now co-financing companies are kicking the tires." Could The Matrix Revolutions' poor second weekend at the box office be giving the powers-that-be cold feet?

If the pic is picked up by another studio, Tripoli could be Reeves' next project after Constantine. He would star as William Eaton in the William Monahan-scripted story of how Eaton "joined forces with an exiled king to overthrow the corrupt ruler of what is now Libya."